SUNY Distinguished Service Professor John T. Ho

Published September 27, 2016

Dear University Community:

I am sad to share with you that SUNY Distinguished Service Professor of Physics John T. Ho passed away last Thursday, September 22. Our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences are with John’s wife, Martha Leung and the Ho family.

John joined UB’s faculty in 1975 and built a distinguished career as an experimental condensed matter physicist, earning him election as a fellow of the American Physical Society, among other honors. Throughout his esteemed career at UB, he was devoted to mentoring our faculty and students, and in particular our international population, helping them achieve excellence at UB and beyond.

From 2006 until 2015, John served as Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School. Through his leadership, John had a profound impact on our entire graduate enterprise, enhancing graduate student and postdoctoral scholar support and development, helping UB achieve strong graduate enrollments, including record enrollments in several years, and raising the overall prominence and quality of graduate education at UB, among many other accomplishments. As a leader, John’s commitment to the success of UB’s graduate programs, students and faculty was matched only by his professionalism and integrity.

An exemplary university citizen, John brought his student-focused perspective to approximately 130 important committees that contributed to UB’s strength and excellence, including the Middle States reaccreditation and HUB implementation teams. This extraordinary commitment to our university, students and faculty – as well as his strong service to his professional societies – earned John the richly deserved designation of SUNY Distinguished Service Professor. See UB Now for more information about John’s many accomplishments.

UB is stronger because of John’s many contributions. He was a consummate university citizen and colleague and will be greatly missed.

The campus community is invited to a memorial gathering on Tuesday, October 18 at 3:30 PM in the Center for the Arts Screening Room to remember John and honor his distinguished legacy.